Surveillance Training

[s0ldier93]

Quick question-

After CPL, are there any further requirments before being able to fly single engine surveillance flights for hire an an aircraft like this: http://libertyaircraft.com/surveillance/index.php

 

[avbug]

Only whatever your employer might establish and require. The FAA has none. Surveillance means looking at something. The FAA requires no training to look at something...it's a skill that most have practiced in earnest since being an infant.

What you have in that ad is an effort by a light airplane manufacturer to sell their airplane. They've shown pictures of FLIR assemblies and pictures taken using those and other types of observation equipment, and are trying to sell the airplane under those auspices.

Is the Liberty better suited to "surveillance" operations than any other airplane? Probably not. Perhaps a little quieter, but also single engine, and let's face it; it's a light single engine piston airplane. Something that a 100 hour border patrol pilot might not be too concerned about (lacking the experience and knolwledge to be concerned in the first place), but something that might not thrill most knolwledgable professional aviators...single engine night surveillance.

Any training in the airplane you might need would hopefully be provided by the agency that hires you, though don't bank on it...whitness the ridiculous series of deaths in Huskies by Border Patrol pilots years ago during chases and surveillance. The Border Patrol didn't address the issue by increasing pilot requirements and training (believing that a 10 year ground pounder with no flight experience is better suited to the job than a 10 year pilot with law enforcement training)...they decided to ground the huskies and go with super cubs. A banner day in intelligent thought.

 

[s0ldier93]

avbug-

LOL. . . . . Thank you for your input. I did notice the FLIR videos seemed to be from a helocopter rather than a plane (helo icon on each with a highlighted camera direction). I won't run off to start the midnight Liberty watchers club just yet either.